William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he previews the 2024 Amerigol LATAM Cup which takes place Aug. 21-25 at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs and Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale.
Juan Carlos Otero says he toyed with the idea of renaming the Amerigol LATAM Cup because the tournament has grown beyond teams representing Latin American and Caribbean nations.
He quickly nixed the thought.
“We’re not going to make any change,” Otero said. “What I’m happy and proud to see is that other countries are aware of us by name and although it’s called the LATAM Cup, they want to be a part of it. That’s really rewarding and something that we hope to continue growing.”
“Growth” is the operative word for the 2024 LATAM Cup which runs Wednesday through Sunday at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs and the Baptist Health IcePlex, the Panthers practice facility in Fort Lauderdale.
The tournament will include 52 teams representing 17 countries and territories including Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.